How to export a WhatsApp chat on iPhone
Want to save a conversation off your phone, move it to your computer or turn it into a book? Here is how to export a WhatsApp chat on iPhone in two minutes, without installing anything. Each step gets a ✓, just like in WhatsApp.
How to export a WhatsApp chat on iPhone
To export a WhatsApp chat on iPhone, all you need is your phone and your email. Follow these steps:
Open the chat
Open WhatsApp and go to the conversation or group you want to keep.
Tap the name at the top
Tap the contact or group name at the top to open its info.
Scroll down and tap “Export Chat”
Scroll to the bottom of the list and tap “Export Chat”. More details in the official WhatsApp guide.
With or without media
WhatsApp will ask whether you want to attach media. For a book, attach it:
Email it to yourself
In the share menu choose the Mail app, type your own email address in “To” and tap send. The chat goes as an attached .zip file.
If it is too big, use Mail Drop
If the file is over 20 MB, your iPhone will ask whether you want to use Mail Drop: tap “Use Mail Drop”. The file is uploaded to iCloud and the email arrives with a download link (up to 5 GB, valid for 30 days).
Shortcut: if it is under 2 GB, send it to yourself on WhatsApp
WhatsApp lets you send files of up to 2 GB. In the share menu choose WhatsApp and send it to your own chat (search for your name, it shows as “You”). Then open WhatsApp Web on your computer and download it from there.
Download it to your computer
Open that email on your computer and download the attachment or click the Mail Drop link. The chat is now safely off your phone.
WhatsApp Web and the desktop app cannot export chats. Always do it from your phone, then move the file to your computer.
What is inside the exported file?
A .zip with a text file (_chat.txt) containing every message with its date and time and, if you chose to include media, the photos, videos and voice notes from the conversation. You can keep it as a copy off your phone, hold on to it when you switch phones, or turn it into a printed book to give or keep.
From chat to book
You can open the file and print it at home, but you will get hundreds of loose pages, with no photos and dates everywhere. If you upload it to Mi Libro de Mensajes, the conversation lays itself out: bubbles like on your phone, printed photos, chapters and voice notes turned into QR codes.
Print it (and get it delivered)
Upload the file, check the pages, remove anything you do not want and choose a cover and dedication. It arrives at your door in a few days. For more detail, here is how to print a WhatsApp chat step by step.
Frequently asked questions
Can you export a WhatsApp chat from a computer?
No. WhatsApp Web and the desktop app cannot export chats. You have to do it from your iPhone and then move the file to your computer.
What is Mail Drop and why use it?
It is the iPhone Mail app’s feature for sending large files. If the exported chat is over 20 MB, it uploads it to iCloud and the email arrives with a download link valid for 30 days. You need to be signed in to iCloud on your iPhone.
Are voice notes and photos exported too?
Yes, if you choose “Attach Media”. If you choose “Without Media”, only the text messages are exported.
Can I export a group chat?
Yes. It exports just like a one-to-one chat, and in the book each person appears with their name.
